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I was wondering about the positioning of the sail track if I want to put some on the van for a side shade screen.

1) Am I right in thinking the sail track should run along the edge of the actual pop-top section that raises up? I need to confirm this before I go past the point of no return...

Or should the track be lower, along the top of the main van edge (if it would fit, as there are obstacles there - window & vent ducts?)

2) Presuming it is along the lower surface of the poptop would single or double flange sail track be best?

I'm worried that double might look too cluttered or take up too much space along that edge. Would the single flange be strong enough to do the job, without me wishing I'd used double.

I have found several suppliers of single flange sail track, in a white colour too. But there aren't as many double flange options around and I haven't see any in white. There are no caravan places or outlets where I am based so I am planning to order online.

Any comments?

See pic if upload works:

...life often passes us by while we're still making grand plans for it...

I'm having trouble with your upload, it just takes me to the postimage page. However, my sailtrack is a single flange, on the actual pop top. It is mounted high so it doesn't foul the clips. As far as I can recall all are like that for awnings. Is that what you are after? A lot of users have one mounted lower for shading the fridge vents, and obviously others have other reasons for wanting a shade screen.

That balances the drag sideways from the roll out awning. I did not think much of a roll out awning pulling on a pop-top so I had the old style vinyl sheet, poles and guy ropes with the sail track on the top of the body. I also had a sail track on the other side for shade cloth.

As you can see from other respondents, either mounting position works. It's now up to your preferences. If you are mounting the track on the pop-top is may be better to construct the shade protection from shade cloth, it may give better airflow.

PeterD

Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down by the mind before you reach eighteen. Albert Einstein

I had a single track (white) along the top edge of the poptop van body... that is, NOT on the roof section. This worked well and still allowed uninterrupted breeze through the vents in the upper skirt.

Just be aware that ordering online is fraught with problems with something so long and fairly fragile.

I have just recently been down this path as I wanted 2 - 3mtr lengths of double flange in white.I ended up driving several hundred klms. to pick it up from my nearest Camec store as it was all just too hard to freight it.

It would have to have come by a courier as aus post wont touch anything over 1200mm long, and I had visions of it being scratched, dented or just bent ! hence the drive to pick up.I am in WA so may be different in Eastern states.

"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge" - Stephen Hawking

Thanks for the useful posts and the pics. I asked the same thing to a bloke who deals in caravan supplies including sail track. This is his response below. It looks like I might end up using Sikaflex and a few screws as well. As my van is pretty well 'as new' condition I don't want to bugger it up so I really want to make sure that what I do is correct. See 'ole mate's reply below:

I was working for a Jayco Dealership when they first introduced the fibreglass sides. At the time, Jayco advised that double flange would be the most suitable, and to pre-drill holes with a 1/8" drill. Starting from 20mm down for your first couple of top holes (as per my drawing). Obviously, for smaller pieces, you could close the gap up to 200mm to make it look neater if need be.

Use a white polyurethane sealant such as Sikaflex or Bostik Matrix FC. Run a squiggle down the back of the track, and use self cutting screws (the ones with the drill bit on the end about 8g x 25mm Zinc Plate), and use some more sealant on the threads. Never use the tapping style screws, not pop-rivets. They will crack the fibreglass.

I would fit double flange for the additional awning regardless of position it is finally located in.With the top Awning you will have a twisting effect when wind bellows it, which will have an effect on the mechanical fixings used.The single sided flange is usually used vertically on the side on vans to retain annexe walls and shade cloth ends for privacy with little stress.Regards Jim

Patrolst wrote:The single sided flange is usually used vertically on the side on vans to retain annexe walls and shade cloth ends for privacy with little stress. regards Jim

It's also the one to use on the top of the body of a van where the pull is sideways. The double sided one was produced for annex walls where the pull is out from the walls at right angles to mounting and not sideways. I think the single sided one is now being used as it looks neater because it is narrower but also probably penny pinching because it is cheaper.

PeterD

Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down by the mind before you reach eighteen. Albert Einstein

Definitely do not use Zinc plated screws ! they will be rusty after one season. Use stainless screws only. If you really want to use the self drilling type they are available but I personally would use a small pilot drill of 2mm and then some standard s/s self tappers, so long as you have drilled a pilot hole they will not crack the GRP.Self drilling type screws are very easily overdriven and end up with no grip at all, especially in soft plastic.

There are special "biffurcated pop rivets" available now especially for grp, but very expensive if you can find them, around $1 each !The gripping stem is split on 3 sides so they open up like a toggle behind the panel.

I bought a box of 500 for a project, cost me $330 trade !

"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge" - Stephen Hawking

I think I'll go with single flange white & attach it along the pop top side. I noticed that there's a new single flange design out with the track opening at 90 degree angle from the flange - similar to how it is on the double flange (see link below).

I had a chat to the bloke who supplies the sail track among other things from that Supa-RV Australia place.

He reckons he's been installing sail track for various applications for 14 years and says that the single flange is usually the go for vans & RVs etc.

He did say that he uses screws when attaching the sail track to hold it in pace while the Sikaflex cures. He said those self cutting screws worked well or just regular self tappers would do. He said too that the drilling part is quite easy as long as you don't rush and push too hard.

He asked me abouts on the van did I planned to attach the sail track, and what for. I told him about the Coast awning wall kit and he reckons the new design 90 degree single flange track (see Word doc pic) would be ideal for that as the fabric walls would go directly out from the sail track groove.

told him that I was also planning on attaching a 4m length of sail track along the edge of my poptop (on the opposite side to the roll-out awning side). He mentioned that drilling would be easy as those pop-top sections were aluminium!!!

I told him that my Jayco van was fibreglass and he said that it was only the body of the van that was fibreglass and the poptop roofy bit was made more of aluminium. Would that be correct...??

Now I get the idea. I'll have a crawl around under my van tomorrow to see if I can work out a similar arrangement.

Lateral thinking is what it's called...

The Coast awning wall kit does come with draft skirt material but there's no rule to say I must attach it exactly as they say. The press studs pictured in the instructions manual look a bit dodgy if you ask me - plastic looking. Anyway, I'll consider the options.

With December being so close and Xmas not too far off, all my 'talk' of doing this and that will soon be translated into action!!I just hope I'm still smiling afterwards...

...life often passes us by while we're still making grand plans for it...

I ordered some sail track from Suparv Australia (Yatala - Gold Coast) and they were vey helpful.The guy there gave me a few handy tips over the phone for attaching the track.

Unfortunately the sail track was damaged in courier transit. It was delivered with a substantial 30 degree bend two thirds along my 4m length of track. A 2m section packaged alongside it was also bent. I took a few pics (before, during and after un-wrapping it) then emailed SuperRV and I rang them up too.

When I contacted them there was no problem or dramas. I just explained the problem, they saw the pics and they agreed to send me another batch of sail track (more securely packaged) which arrived today.

That was much appreciated as I really did want to get moving on the sail track installation. Thank you SupaRV Australia..!! You have a happy customer.

(PS. Tried to attach a few of the pics but something amiss with my JPG file type - to big or something!)

...life often passes us by while we're still making grand plans for it...